When I want a bagel, I go to the Bagel Doctor. Not because it’s a bagel shop right next to my house (which is undeniably convenient), but because they provide a damn tasty bagel, every single time, cream cheese or not. That, my friends, is consistency!
Consistency is incredibly important in social media; delivering valuable, branded content on a daily basis builds the foundation for success. Here is a breakdown of what I like to call The 3 Pillars of Social Media Consistency:
1. Consistent Posting: Feed the Content Monster
As former Apple Exec. Guy Kawasaki says, “You must keep feeding the content monster”. In order to keep traction and stay relevant on social media, you must keep posting. A study by Socialbakers found that posting once a week on Facebook was so low you risk losing connection with your audience.
You don’t want this.
Try posting 1-2 times per day on Facebook and 1-3 times per day on Twitter to keep fans interested and to satisfy the content monster.
2. Consistent Brand: The Digital You
Look at yourself in the mirror and talk like you’re about to impress someone REALLY important. Note the things you say: Are you funny? Are you bold? What do you stand for?
When you have the answer, you have your brand.
Your brand is personification of yourself and what you stand for. You define it through your voice and content on social media.
You want brand consistency because:
- Customers will connect to your business’s unique personality.
- You will increase customer engagement and loyalty.
- Your business will stand out from your competitors.
Here’s how you’ll do it:
- Keep colors, profile pictures and layouts similar across Facebook, Twitter, etc.
- Use similar tone and language in your content.
- Fans don’t like constant advertising. Use the 80/20 rule: 80% entertainment and educational content, 20% promotional content.
3. Consistent Value: Reading Your Audience
Consistent Value is all about understanding your audience. The easiest way to do this is to post a ton of different stuff: inspiring articles about your industry, videos, photos, puppy memes–then listen very carefully for engagement. Some posts will have lots of engagement, some will have none. Both cases are good! Here’s why:
a. Post with lots of comments, likes and shares:
Maybe it was the text? The image? Congrats! You did something amazing. Your goal now is to figure out why it worked, and then replicate the process. Note: use analytics to determine a successful post (successful = high likes, comments, and shares).
b. Post with no engagement:
So the video you posted of a snowman melted with a flamethrower wasn’t a huge success. To find out why, ask yourself the following:
- Was it on brand?
- Was it relevant to my audience?
- When/what time of the year was it posted?
- What was the message?
- What was the tone?
Save your answers and adjust your strategy accordingly. And something to note, you are not your audience. So even though you may love videos of snowmen being melted with a flamethrower, your audience may not. But this is okay! Posting things that don’t work is not failure, it’s learning.
Here’s your recap. To give consistent value, you must:
- Keep trying new things with your content.
- Track what your audience engages with and replicate it.
- Track what doesn’t work and cut it.
- Adjust your strategy, rinse, and repeat.
Consistent value creates conversions. Remember that.
What do good bagels and Facebook have in common? Consistency. Success on Social Media is about delivering content, brand, and value. Do this and your page will not only grow, you’ll increase loyalty, conversation, and add conversion to your funnel. Mmm, I can taste your success already.
Do you have any tips on retaining consistency? Let me know in the comments below.